Paper Lantern Night
by AzNTaMMi
Summary: Story is set in olden day China.Sakura, a poor girl, gets into an arrange marriage she LIKES but what will she do when she find herself in Prince XiaoLang arms in secret? Lady Meiling is Sakura's friend but Meiling is arranged to be married to Syaoran and


Summary: Story is set in olden day China (with kings and etc.). Sakura, a poor girl, gets into an arrange marriage she LIKES but what will she do when she find herself in Prince XiaoLang(Syaoran)'s arms in secret? Lady Meiling is Sakura's friend but Meiling is arranged to be married to Syaoran and she's NOT backing out. To make things worse Lady Tomoyo has crush on Fujitaka's assistant whom is poor and the royal court won't let them be together so she runs away therefore royal court puts Eriol + Kinomoto family in jail but Sakura escapes without the Li family knowing anything about it. Sakura comes back 5 yr. later........what will happen?  
  
Author's Note: Yeah, you're probably thinking that is such a complicated summary. I know it is but I hope you give this story of mine a try. pllllzzzz and review too! Hi again everyone! I deleted this story and now I've brought it back. It's Spring Break for me and so I guess I'll try to update more, but no promises! It's not completely edited but plz pardon the mistakes. Enjoy and R+R!  
  
Disclaimer: Do you really want to know it? Anyhoo, here it goes I DO NOT OWN CCS AND I REPEAT I DO NOT OWN IT! hic hic *crys and run out of room* *realizes she has a fanfic. to write *runs back*  
  
Extra Notes: Ok, since this is set in olden day China. They have to be given Chinese names but since Sakura's family is from Japan I just kept their name and I sometime switch back between Xiao Lang and Syaoran depending if he's with the family or Sakura. I kept Tomoyo's name too.  
  
Brief Description:  
  
Kinomoto Family: Fujitaka-father and a poor rare items salesman, wants Sakura to marry and arranges it for her.  
  
Touya - Older brother dropped out of school when young and got a job in  
  
door to door carpendar  
  
Sakura- Youngest child and is happy about her arranged marriage to Kai Ji(Japanese name)Does all the house work since she can't find a decient job. Loves to make art especially paper lantern.  
  
Eriol- An assistant of Fujitaka and is extremely smart but no one gave him a chance. Secretly he had a crush on Sakura but realize she's just like a younger sister. No parents so therefore he is like "adopted". Has a mysterious past that connect with royal family.  
  
*The Li Family: Queen Yelan- an intelligent and beautiful woman, mother of 4 girls (1 foster daughter) + 1 boy (heir)  
  
Prince Syaoran- The only boy so therefore he's the heir, cold and arranged to be marry to Meiling Li (cousin).  
  
Lady Meiling- Syaoran's fiance, Sakura's old childhood friend be4 in Jap., Very clingy to Syaoran.  
  
Lady Tomoyo- Queen Yelan's foster daughter after Sonomi (Yelan's friend died and so she took in Tomoyo), a very artistic in clothing, Sakura's best friend when in Japan but lost contact after Sonomi (Tomoyo's mom) died.  
  
The Li sisters- Xiefa, Fanren, Femie,Futie (not sure that how u spell the names) Lots of engergy and loves their little brother very much.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fujitaka Kinomoto had it really hard all his life and it didn't come as a surprise to him when his rare items he found digging didn't come the people's interest. It didn't matter to him though very much that he was poor but he worried about his children's future especially Sakura.  
  
Touya the oldest had already gone into the carpeners business and was making enough money to help live. Although he was really good in school he dropped out on his own will to help the family.  
  
Luckily, Fujitaka had a faithful assistant name Eriol. He was another mouth to feed to some people but Fujitaka with his kind heart took the homeless 6 year old in when he was caught sleeping on his doorstep.  
  
Now that it seems all his worries were so far away, Sakura came back into his mind. She was a girl of 15 and she needed more than what he gave her and especially since her mother had died. Also she couldn't find a job and always ended up wondering the dangerous streets where enemies fought if you weren't careful you'd end up kidnapped.  
  
Well, he was again caught out in the rain with all his items but it wasn't only him but many other sales people and the market place. He waited a moment and saw no one had came down to help and called again.  
  
"Where are you Touya, Eriol? "  
  
Then he suddenly jumped because someone had pounced on him from behind. Sakura with her long flowing light brown braided hair and bright emerald eyes smiled up at her father.  
  
"Hi Father! What are you just standing here? Let's go gather the stuff in. " She said in her cheery voice since her father looked so sad.  
  
Fujitaka nodded and asked. " You are always in a great spirit and I wonder how you do it. Oh by the way I've called for your brother and Eriol. Do you know where they are?"  
  
As Sakura took the cart out to get ready to load the stuff off she answered. " I do get my spirit from my parents you know, Father. And I bet those two are in the alley gambling who wins at jack with the other smaller children. "  
  
Fujitaka laughed. "Those two are always trying to get more money but it ends up like how they started with. Although I do know when they do make extra, it's for the family."  
  
Sakura lifted the cart upwards as her father lifted up the bottom to slide into the house front door. " Seriously I think they should use their extra money for something for themselves and not try to gamble with it to make more for me. I can take care of myself."  
  
Once again Fujitaka laughed and took a piece of cloth to dry himself and handed one to Sakura. Suddenly he realized something. " Oh my goodness, my most precious gem! Are they in the cart? They must have fell out at the market when I was pushing the cart home."  
  
Sakura gave a sad look and then she put on a smile and rushed out the door in her still rather wet chinese style shirt with the buttons at the side by one of her shoulders with her long light pink pants to match.  
  
"Sakura! Don't go! "  
  
Sakura waved back to her father and ran yelling, " Don't worry I'll be fine and I'll be back real soon, Father!"  
  
The streets were empty and all the chinese store restraunt were closed shut as the rain kept comming. That didn't bother her though because the gems were precious to her father and she always wanted to make him happy so she ran with all her might.  
  
Atlast she arrived there and luckily people were so busy running for shelter they didn't notice the rare gems.  
  
Turning the corner she suddenly saw someone getting on a carriage with the Queen's soilders. 'I wonder who could that be with such royalty to come to such a poor alley street in the rain.'  
  
Then her mind shifted back to her father's gem and ran passed the carriage hoping the soilders didn't bother questioning her. Then again that was too much to asked from those horrid soilders the royal court order.  
  
A soilders held out his hands and grabbed Sakura by the risk and she stopped.  
  
"Excuse me young lady, you see the royal carriage and you do not bow to the royal prince? And may I ask where in the world are you going running like you've just committed a crime?"  
  
Sakura shook her risk out of his reach and with all her courage she said. " What I am doing is very important and may I go please. First of all too I did not know this was the prince's carriage. "  
  
The soilder laughed evily. "Ha! Now you know and bow to our prince as he is more important than what ever you are about to do running in the rain. " He took her by the risk again and spitted on her face.  
  
Sakura took her other hand and gave him a slapped. "How dare you spit on my face! "  
  
The soilder's face got red with anger and was about to strike Sakura's wet face when a hand came up and grabbed soilder's hand.  
  
"Oh, Prince Li I'm terribly sorry for making you wait. It's because this girl here was trying to get smart with me and slapped me. " The soilder said bowing.  
  
Sakura looked up at the person who saved her from getting hit. It indeed was the prince and he looked more handsome in real life than what she heard. He had a nice built body with chocolate eyes and brown hair but the coldness in his eyes scared her a bit.  
  
" Hoshi, I don't have time for you to be picking on poor little girls and waste my time. " Syaoran said with cold voice. Then he turned to Sakura who was just standing there looking at her feet.  
  
' She looks so beautiful and innocent yet nothing alike all the other girls I've seen. Courage to slap my soilder is strong. I won't be harsh this time on her. ' He thought.  
  
She felt a finger lifted her face up and then she expected to be beat but he simply said. " A young girl like you shouldn't be wondering the streets like this when it's almost dark and raining. You've heard of those kidnappers I've been trying to get. "  
  
She nodded and bowed. " Thank you, Prince Li but if you excuse me I have to be going. "  
  
"Wait here let me get something for you. " Syaoran went back to the carriage and took out a brand new white umbrella with pink cherry blossom designs at the ridges.  
  
" Here you go. You'll catch cold if you don't get an umbrella soon. "  
  
Sakura looked at it. It was so beautiful and looked so expensive that she was afraid to take it.  
  
"Um..Prince, I think you should keep it. I'm not worth this expensive umbrella and I think your sisters, the princesses may love it though. " She said.  
  
He got on the carriage and simply replied. " You keep it little girl or I'll have your head off. "  
  
With that he got on the carriage leaving a confuse Sakura. ' The prince look so cold and yet he gave me an umbrella but he just simply thought it was nothing of good use and gave it to a little girl. I'm sick of being called little girl.'  
  
Sakura pulled some money out of her pocket and quickly shoved it onto the carriage and ran.  
  
" This might not be enough but it's for your generousity! Bye, Prince Li. "  
  
With that she ran off holding the umbrella tight to her.  
  
"FATHER! I'm back! And look I've got your gems! "  
  
An excited Sakura burst through the door welcomed by her relieved father.  
  
"Oh the Kaijuu is back. You should head up stairs and dry up and Eriol will bring some soup up. " Touya said as he looked up from his bowl of thin soup.  
  
Sakura's face redden and stuck her tongue out. Eriol, wearing old hand-me down clothes from Touya came out and Fujitaka laughed jokingly as the two siblings had a staring contest when finally Sakura ran upstairs to dry. Eriol then notice she was carrying an umbrella that he had seen in a very expensive shop.  
  
"Sakura! Your father said that you should eat upstairs so you have less chance of getting a cold from downstair's dampness." Eriol called out as he was heading the creaking stairs with a tray of soup and water.  
  
Eriol heard no reply and knocked on her door.  
  
"Come on in, Eriol and see what I've been working on. " A voice said from inside.  
  
Sakura's room was painted white and she had drawn cherryblossoms on the walls. The room was quite small with only a small bed, a table with all of Sakura's art and stuff, and a clothes line to hang her clothes.  
  
"Hey, I see you've got another art project going on your table. So where should I place this?" He handed out the tray of soup and water.  
  
She smiled up at him and pointed to the floor which she was sitting on with a bunch of paper materials. He did as she said and sat down with her as he always did every night to see her work her art magic.  
  
Sakura's room was full of many art projects and Eriol had always been there to say that he had helped. He looked at her angelic face and sigh. Secretly he had a little crush on her for a while. He knew he was just an assistant to Fujitaka and only a brother figure to Sakura.  
  
Sakura knew that he like like her but she always told him, " We are brother and sisters and even though when we find someone we truly love we will still always be brother and sister. Nothing can break that, right Eriol? Promise, to be part of Kinomoto family forever right? "  
  
So now he understood but tonight he finally fully understood when she said.  
  
"Eriol, look this is a paper lantern. I've been spending alot of time on it but I wanted to surprise you with it so I done it in secret. You are a great second brother to me and this lantern is for you which means we will never be apart because........"  
  
Eriol broke in and they both said, " We are brother and sister and even though when we find love we will always still be brother and sister! Nothing will break that because we're the Kinomoto family!"  
  
Eriol laughed and admired at the design. The paper lantern was dark blue fading into a light blue and Eriol's name in Kanji and it also had Kinomoto written on it as well. Then he notice three other ones by Sakura.  
  
He smiled. " Are you still working on those over there for the rest of the family? "  
  
She smiled back and cheerfully said. "Yup, and maybe I can sell some too. That'll make Father very happy."  
  
"Um...Sakura there is some news you might want to hear first before you decide to make millions off your lanterns because.....you already have!"  
  
A puzzle look came to her face and yet it was a disbelieving look too but she knew Eriol wouldn't kid around something like money. " Eriol, are you having a fever." She touched his forehead with her slender soft hands.  
  
His face turn more serious and that got Sakura's attention. She thought for a moment of what in the world did Eriol meant. Then in quick instant it occured to her.  
  
"The only possible way right now to getting rich is for me to marry Kai but you know fairly well that we are just very close childhood friends. Although I like him so very much but he will alway like me as Sakura, his best friend."  
  
She gave a slight frown when Eriol nodded telling her that it was true. She was going to get marry to Kai Ji but he didn't love her that was why her face was gloomed and she had always known he since they were kids that he had no romantic feelings for her.  
  
Then now for some reason they were going to get marry and Sakura never saw it comming.....An ARRANGED MARRIAGE! *****************  
  
Author's Note: OOO I just hope people would review cuz it mean so much to me! And please no flames unless like you giving me advice in a nice way. I hope you all enjoy it anyways. Ja Ne! ^__~ Thanks very much! 


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